Tag Archives: Independence Day

It’s Independence Day weekend here in the US, so I’ll have just a short post today, because everyone should be outside enjoying the beautiful weather.

In honor of America’s 239 years of independence, let’s remember our nation’s humble beginning as thirteen tiny colonies. The colonies had to fight against the most powerful empire on earth for the right to self-governance. And yet they prevailed against the British after several years, and the Treaty of Paris in 1783 established the United States as an independent nation. The colonists had the freedom not only to rule themselves, but to expand their territory westward over the North American continent. Over the subsequent years, America took advantage of several opportunities, economic (the Louisiana Purchase), military (the Mexican-American War), and diplomatic (treaties with Great Britain over the boundary with Canada), all of which expanded its territory.

It is truly a marvel to see how the United States grew by such leaps and bounds from 1776 to the present day. Below is a collection of maps from an Atlas which illustrate which areas were added to the union and when. Quite a lot of information is here, including many little-known factoids of American geography, such as the fact that Vermont was an extralegal self-governing entity from 1777 to 1791. With its many territorial possessions across the ocean, America has now become a global empire, a far cry from its thirteen original colonies. Who knows what the future will bring?

This past Friday, the United States of America celebrated its 238th birthday. Across the fifty states, Americans celebrated with parties and parades, waving flags with pride and reflecting on how much we’ve grown from just thirteen original colonies. We often forget, though, that the United States is more than just fifty states. The US possesses a great deal of territory which is not considered part of any state, and some of these areas have their own unique legal classifications. We have the District of Columbia, numerous Native American reservations, organized territories like Puerto Rico, and several more unorganized territories scattered throughout the ocean. As this concise but highly informative video from CGP Grey illustrates, the collection of parts that make up the country we call America is much more complex than we usually realize:

The legal distinctions between some of these territories can be confusing, but the video does its best to explain. Certain islands, including Puerto Rico and Guam, are considered unincorporated organized territories. In these places, some parts of the US Constitution do not apply, and the residents do not have the right to vote for President. (They can, however, elect a representative to Congress, but the representative cannot vote on any legislation). The unorganized territories, composed of various islands mostly in the Pacific Ocean, have it even worse, though. They have no local government, but also no one living there. Many of these are just tiny stretches of sand that were used for nuclear bomb testing. But the strangest arrangement of all is that of Palmyra Atoll, an uninhabited island which is incorporated, meaning that the entire US Constitution applies there even though the whole island is just a nature preserve. If a non-American citizen gave birth there, for example, the baby would be an American citizen.

Here is a map of all the US outlying islands in the Pacific Ocean, with Palmyra Atoll in the lower middle:

US Minor Outlying Islands in the Pacific Ocean (via Wikipedia)

So the next time you salute the American flag, remember all these other territories that are part of our country, even if they don’t have their own star.

Today, in honor of America’s birthday of July 4, 1776, I found a map that was made in the same year showing what the colonies and the surrounding land looked like as the American Revolution began.

The Bonne Map of Louisiana and the British Colonies in North America

Drawn by the Frenchman Rigobert Bonne, the map shows the British colonies that would become the first 13 states of the United States in the east, the British holdings in Canada to the north and west, the French territory of Louisiana west of the Mississippi, and beyond that, the Spanish territory of Mexico. The east coast is mostly accurate, though southern Florida, where the everglades are, is depicted as an archipeligo, and Lake Superior is given some fictional islands. It is also interesting to note the number of Native American names that can be found inland, many of which would be replaced by English names in the future.

Anyway, don’t spend today inside reading a blog, go out and enjoy the weather! Happy 4th of July everyone!